Sky's limit for homegrown C919 jetliners

As the global air travel market continues to expand in the post-pandemic era, the C919 is working to break the market duopoly of Boeing and Airbus and is expected to help meet growing travel demand.

"The importance of developing the C919 for the civil aviation market lies in providing global airlines with a third option," said Lin Zhijie, a civil aviation industry analyst.

"More importantly, the C919 has a more profound significance for China's high-end manufacturing industry by creating an annual output value of trillions of yuan and driving breakthroughs in a group of high-precision and cutting-edge manufacturing technologies," Lin said.

In February, the C919 made its debut at the Singapore Airshow, its first appearance at an overseas air show, and industry players expect the model will gain more new orders from overseas carriers.

To enter the international market in the future and form a more balanced situation among three major manufacturers, several major breakthroughs are needed for the C919.

First, the C919 needs to obtain airworthiness certifications from the European Union and the United States, key to entering the international market. Without such certifications, the model can still be sold overseas, but such documentation can help the model enter foreign markets faster and more extensively. In addition, the ramp-up of production capacity and mass production of the C919 are also critical for the model to enter the global market, Lin said.

Currently, the maximum monthly production capacity of narrow-body aircraft from Boeing and Airbus is about 60 to 70, but the production capacity of the C919 is less than 10 aircraft a year.

In addition, a safe record of operation of the aircraft model is important for it to be recognized by global users and trusted by passengers. This requires time accumulation and the joint efforts and cooperation of all entities in the entire industry chain. The improvement of the aircraft model's economic performance also counts, Lin added.

Looking ahead to 2025, the global airline sector is expected to show a slight strengthening of profitability amid ongoing cost and supply chain challenges, the International Air Transport Association said in December.

In 2025, total industry revenues are expected to reach $1.01 trillion, up 4.4 percent from 2024, marking the first time that revenue in the sector tops the $1 trillion mark, IATA projected.

Passenger numbers are expected to reach 5.2 billion in 2025, a 6.7 percent rise compared to 2024 and the first time that the number of passengers exceeds the 5 billion mark, IATA said.

"We are expecting airlines to deliver a global profit of $36.6 billion in 2025," said Willie Walsh, IATA's director-general.

"This will be hard-earned as airlines take advantage of lower oil prices while keeping load factors above 83 percent, tightly controlling costs, investing in decarbonization, and managing the return to more normal growth levels following the extraordinary pandemic recovery," Walsh said.

zhuwenqian@chinadaily.com.cn